🔗 Share this article

The twelfth week delivered an incredible Cowboys rally, or perhaps an epic Eagles collapse?

Playoff Mahomes arrived to salvage the Chiefs' season while the Bears keep to impress as they extend their victorious run.

Did Sanders do enough on his first professional start to earn the starting role in Ohio?

Let's take a look at the pick of the week in the NFL.

Analysis – Dallas Rally or Eagles Collapse?

The Cowboys found themselves down and out at 21-0 down versus the reigning Super Bowl winners, so how on earth did they engineer their joint-best comeback in history?

The emotions of a first home game after a teammate’s tragic passing could have been a factor, but technically it was a combination of Dak Prescott resolve and a defence that pounced on uncommon errors by the Philadelphia.

Prescott surpassed Tony Romo marks for passing yards (now 34,378) and clutch drives (25) with an all-action display – his plunging score personifying his energetic display.

Philly squandered a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the initial time since 1999, with just their second game with several turnovers this season – the other being a bad NFC East loss at the Giants.

Along with 14 infractions for 96 yards, the offensive struggles that affected Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an fast start was significant. He had only thrown for 200-plus yards in 4 games prior to Sunday, he had more than 150 in the first half by himself in Dallas.

However from the time Philadelphia went twenty-one to zero up their offense derailed dramatically – with four consecutive kicks, a missed three-point attempt and then a fumble handing opportunity after chance to the Dallas.

Philadelphia’s defense is brilliant, it really is, but an offence that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in five of seven games (three losses) is now a huge worry, because the pieces are all there but it's just not working.

Sirianni’s approach is all about securing the key situations, the defense keeps them in it and what offense there is does barely sufficient – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and ball protection is failing, there could be problems ahead.

Spotlight – Postseason Mahomes Appears Early to Save Kansas City

It wasn’t as dramatic, but the Chiefs’ 11-point recovery in the fourth quarter versus a strong Indianapolis squad was very impressive – and could have only saved their season.

How significant was it? Indeed, the NFL's Next Gen Stats now give the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent probability of reaching the postseason, whereas a defeat on Sunday would have dropped that figure to twenty-eight percent.

No wonder the playoff form of Mahomes arrived, throwing for 235 yards in the latter half alone and guiding three scoring possessions in their final 4 possessions to seal it in overtime.

A few big throws and daring runs are typical for Patrick in the playoffs, but currently the Chiefs are in post-season mode – at 6-5 and just tenth in the conference standings.

That was more like the old Kansas City however, with a first one-score win of the season after losing five previously – they won eleven of them the previous season so, if that belief comes back, this Kansas City faithful might not be done just yet.

Discussion – Can Bears Be Kings of the North?

You can no longer ignore the Chicago Bears now. A victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Aaron Rodgers, maintained them first of the division and at eight and three – sharing the same record as the Eagles.

They appear threatening on each side of the ball, with a defense that tops the league in interceptions and overall takeaways and, in Williams, a young quarterback now used to winning close games.

He can at times be inconsistent, surrendering a touchdown after a fumble in his own goal area – but he also passed for 3 scores and, with already 5 final period rallies this season, he knows how to get the job done.

The Green Bay Packers are in hot pursuit in the division after dominating the Minnesota and Detroit are right there after beating the Giants in overtime with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.

Chicago are strangely the most reliable with 8 wins in nine, but as they travel to the championship champs on Thanksgiving we'll discover just how good they really are.

Preview – Exciting Holiday in Store

It appears one of the most exciting Thanksgiving schedules for a long time, with each game packed with postseason consequences.

The Lions welcome the Green Bay in the traditional curtain-raiser in Detroit, prior to a rare trip back to Dallas for the Kansas City, who began life as the Texans long ago in the 1960s before relocating to Missouri.

The weekend’s rally kings are each holding on to playoff aspirations but have minimal margin for mistakes – so this will have a post-season atmosphere.

And how about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly win over the Jets actually has them top of the AFC North after starting one and five and appearing dead and buried.

Thanksgiving and Shopping Day Games (all times GMT)

• Thursday, twenty-seven November: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions (6:00 PM)
• Thursday, twenty-seven November: Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (9:30 PM)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
• Friday, 28 November: Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (20:00)

Can Sanders Keep His Starting Role?

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski dismissed questions on whether Shedeur Sanders had done enough in his debut NFL start to maintain the starting job when Gabriel returns.

Yet the issue will continue to be asked as Sanders became the first Browns signal-caller to secure his first NFL start after Eric Zeier in 1999 – with 17 other first-year signal callers unsuccessful to do so afterward.

It was just the Las Vegas, and with the help of an nearly aggressive Browns defence recording ten tackles, but the Browns’ offense needs a leader, a figurehead to inspire confidence.

Moreover self-belief is one thing not lacking in Shedeur, who informed a CBS {